In Between
by Carth
Summary: Several oneshots that take place between Code Lyoko and Code Lyoko Evolution, and now during Code Lyoko Evolution itself. Will be written as I am inspired to write them. UxY, JxA. Enjoy!
1. Aelita

****Who is this? Why, it's ME! I know I haven't updated GITM in quite some time - college really, really got in the way of that - but while I've been slowly but surely working on Chapter 12, I've also been indulging in the Code Lyoko Evolution Countdown Challenge on Tumblr! The challenge is to do something themed for each character each day, and even though I started somewhat late I'll make every effort to catch up before CLE premieres!

I decided to do a theme with these - they all take place between Code Lyoko and Code Lyoko Evolution. So I hope you like them! :)

Rating is for some mild sloppy makeouts.

* * *

**Part One: Aelita **

_April_

Aelita tried to remember everything she'd ever been told about kissing.

Not that she'd been told very much – a lot of things she'd had to overhear. Some girl whose name she couldn't remember had been telling Tania Grandjean something about tongues and butt touching that morning, so she tried kind of flicking her tongue in and out – she didn't quite know what to do with said tongue so that was her best guess. But Jeremie wasn't any better, and it didn't seem right for whatever mood there was to stop and tell him to open his teeth.

The butt touching was easier, that she had to admit. Easy _and _fun. Though she had to admit she had kind of expected to be distracted to the point where she wouldn't have to wonder about any of this.

She wasn't quite sure why Jeremie agreed to it. Maybe it was the shock of finally running out of things to do on his computer. Maybe it was the shock of realizing that he'd slaved for over a year to be able to touch her before he realized that- no, she couldn't think of it that way. She had no reason to be bitter. Maybe it was normal, to need time to work up the courage to do things like this.

She genuinely hoped he was having a good time, and almost wished she could detatch herself from his lips to say so. _He_ was catatonic in her arms, hardly moving or reacting, but that hardly surprised her. She tried to make up for it in her own movements, touching whatever she could reach, but other than a slight tremble she kept getting no response. She wasn't sure whether she felt annoyed or worried, and she had long given up on giving in to what little pleasure there was to be found.

She pulled herself up, looking right down into his face. His eyes snapped open instantly, and his muscles twitched. _Welcome back, _she thought_._

_"_Is everything okay, Aelita?" Her heart twisted at the concern in his voice – even more at the hand he was reaching up to stroke her face with. _Oh, so now he can touch me? _No, no, that wasn't what an understanding girlfriend would think…

"That's what I was wondering about you," she said instead. "You seem kind of…frozen."

"Wait…is that bad?" He blushed redder than ever, and when she giggled it got even worse. "You're not enjoying this at all, are you?"

"What? No, I mean, yes," she said, blushing some herself. "It's new to us, it's okay not to know what to do. I don't really, either…"

"I'm sorry." His face fell, and his gaze slid to the side, away from her. "I…I had a feeling something like this was going to happen…"

"It's really not that big a problem –"

"Please don't lie to me."

Aelita sighed, hating herself for every thought. "It just doesn't seem like you enjoy this very much at all," she said. "Not even me, just…this…in general."

Jeremie's blush didn't fade. "That…that's not it at all…"

"I was…kind of looking forward to this…even…even on Lyoko…" Aelita looked down at his chest – still clothed, like her own. "I thought while XANA was still around, things were just too busy…" She bit her lip. "You don't have to be afraid to touch me!"

Jeremie's mouth fell open, but he didn't say anything, so Aelita went on. "It's not like you can't or anything bad is going to happen, so I don't understand-I mean-we're-" She blinked. "Are we even dating?"

"I…yes?" Jeremie trembled even more than he had been before. "Oh man, Aelita, I'm…I'm sorry."

"You don't really need to apologize, Jeremie." Aelita smiled. "I'd just…like it if you weren't afraid of me anymore."

"I'm not afraid of you," Jeremie said. "Well, not all that much…"

"Here," Aelita said. "We can start slow. Just like this…" She lowered herself onto Jeremie's body, hugging him around his middle, and kissed his neck as gently as he could. Slowly but surely she could feel him responding, and – what was this? Was he actually moving his hands? It was a miracle.

"I'm sorry," he said again. "I was so stubborn…all that time I spent messing around with the supercomputer, and-"

"Ssssh," Aelita said between kisses. "We can talk more later."

She lifted her head back up again, putting her lips on level with his. She'd never taken the time to notice just how he looked there – his hair scattered every which way, his face still flushed from embarrassment and excitement, his eyes a clearer blue than she'd ever seen. "One more thing," he said. "Just one more."

"Alright, Jeremie, what's just one more thing?"

"No, wait, two more things. I thought of another one."

"Fine, but we've got class in thirty minutes."

"Well, one," he said, instinctively moving to shift his glasses only to find that they were no longer on his face, "One of the better things about being myopic is even without glasses, I can see you just as clearly as I could with them."

Aelita smiled. "And how do I look?"

"Well, that's the second thing." He smiled slowly. "I love you."

Now Aelita was the one that felt frozen – and then, after a short time, very, very warm inside. "I don't know if I've ever said it," Jeremie went blithely on, "but if I haven't, it's-"

"I love you too." She allowed herself to fall back on his lips, and felt her mind stop just like she'd first expected.

* * *

- Carth


	2. Odd

And since I happened to already have this done, here's Part Two! Part Three'll be here later today.

For those that are not aware: Kiwi will not be in CLE.

* * *

**Part Two – Odd**

_August_

"Now, Mr. Della Robbia, how old is Kiwi?"

"Hmmmm." Odd made a show of crossing and uncrossing his legs. "I got him when I was eight, and I'm fifteen, now…and he was yea size…eeeight?" He paused. "Man, I never thought about that before."

"Well, it may be a good idea to start," the vet said, crossing in front of Odd to sit in his chair. "Kiwi's not as young as he used to be, Mr. Della Robbia, and as dogs get older, they lose some of their resilience, and become more prone to certain kinds of illness."

"Kiwi's always been healthy," Odd said hurriedly.

"And he is, for the most part. But there are some things I'd like to make clear for you if you'd like to keep Kiwi for a few more years."

_You didn't have to say it that way. _Odd swung his legs back and forth on the chair; he tried not to think of how it looked that they didn't reach the floor. _And I just said I was fifteen and everything!_ "Well, sure," he said. "But I do a good job, don't I? There's nothing super _wrong_ I'm doing, right?"

"Well, usually, no," the vet said. "He's in good shape, seems to get a lot of exercise, attention. You've got an excellent bond, too. He was barking up a storm when you came in."

"That's my diggity dog," Odd said, smiling. "So that's all well and good, right?"

"That is, but one thing you happened to tell me concerned me." The vet folded his hands and rested his chin on them. "You say you take Kiwi on a large amount of overseas travel?"

"Y-y-yeah, I do," Odd said, his heart beginning to race. "But he loves plane rides-"

"How many times has he been on a plane?"

"Um, well, it's kinda rusty…" Odd made a show of counting on his fingers. "One, two… five… ten… twelve… oh, no…Seven!"

The vet raised an eyebrow. "An odd number?"

"Eight, eight! Sorry…" Odd bit his lip. "Actually, we're about to go again in about…a month. He'll be on a plane for twelve hours."

"_Twelve hours_?"

"Well, there's a layover in Chicago-"

"Even worse," the vet said. "I'm sorry, Mr. Della Robbia. I don't know your circumstances, but I can't recommend that Kiwi ever be taken on a plane again. Even without this extra consideration, at his age…flights are very stressful for a small animal, and stress can cause many health issues in an animal, especially one of his size, like ulcers. You say you've made this trip…eight times…you spend a lot of time overseas."

"Well, I-"

"Whatever the case may be, I can't sign this." He handed a slip of paper headlined "UNITED AIRWAYS" back to Odd. "And I should caution you against shopping around for a different vet. For Kiwi's sake."

Odd looked down at the paper, then back up at the vet. "I understand," he said half-heartedly. "Can I see Kiwi now, Dr. James?"

"It's Dr. Jones," the vet said. "He's right back in the kennel; you can take him home now."

* * *

"Another no."

"Oh, sweetie." His mother pulled him into a hug; Kiwi whimpered and struggled between them, and Odd couldn't let go of him to hug her back. "It'll be okay. It always is."

"Yeah…" He tried to think of a joke to make, to lighten the mood for himself, but he couldn't, not at the moment. "He'll be fine here for the semester, right? Just for the semester, to give him a rest?"

"Of course, but if you want to keep trying, there's another vet up in the Palisades." She pulled back, patting him on the shoulder as she went. "Or, if all else fails, he's gotten through security before, right?"

"Well, yeah, but those two guys at Charles de Gaulle have it out for me…" Odd looked down at Kiwi, who, upon seeing his master, rolled over and panted, his tongue lolling out of his toothy mouth. "Sorry, Kiwi. I'll see you in December, okay?"

* * *

- Carth


	3. Ulrich

Hey, beautiful people! I wasn't expecting to finish this so soon, but hey, it just happened! I don't know where all this writing aplomb is coming from but I like it. Here, enjoy!

* * *

**Part Three – Ulrich**

_July_

"Jeremie, it says it doesn't recognize my webcam."

"Have you tried plugging it in?"

"Yes, Jeremie, yes I have tried plugging it in, I'm not an idiot."

"Have you tried unplugging it and plugging it back in again?"

"I-well- well, no." Ulrich grumbled, got out of his chair, leaned back behind the monitor again, and pulled the cord out. "Crummy machine. This is wasting my time. If I can't get this to work in half an hour and my dad comes home-"

"Relax, Ulrich, it's all made to go together, it'll do so eventually."

"Sure, to you." He plugged the cord back in. "You've been working with programs people don't even know about for years, but I'm not quite on that level yet." He looked up and, to his relief, a green light was flashing on the camera. "Okay, it's working!"

"Alright, I'll invite you to the chat. He'll be here in a second, guys!"

Jeremie hung up with a click, and Ulrich placed his phone on the table. He kicked back in his seat, adjusted the webcam, and waited for the call to connect. When his own face showed up on the screen – but the call was still connecting – he gave his hair a final pat, hoping that he didn't look too much like he hadn't showered in a day and a half. _Maybe if I'm lucky Yumi'll just think this is what I always think like…no no no, I really should've presented myself better…_

As he was thinking, two screens popped up next to each other. The one on the left, "jbelpois", had video ready, while the one on the right, "purplekiwi69", was a grey box with a cartoon of an old-timey microphone and "VOICE ONLY" plastered across it. "jbelpois" was sitting in his darkened bedroom, looking quite startling in an old T-shirt rather than his usual turtleneck.

It was definitely not what Ulrich had been expecting. "Okay, I see you, Jeremie," he said, rather louder than he might have naturally. "Hey, guys!"

"Hi Ulrich!" Odd shouted from nowhere, startling him. "Sorry, all I've got's a microphone…but my birthday IS in two weeks…"

"I'm not getting you a laptop, Odd."

"I think I'd be scared of what I'd get if it WAS you!" Odd laughed loudly, and Ulrich could hear Kiwi barking the background. "Hey, say hi to your buddy, Kiwi!"

"Hi, my buddy Kiwi," Ulrich said. He looked over at Jeremie, who was chuckling. "It's really great to see you guys. Well, see and hear."

"It definitely is," Jeremie replied. "It's a relief to get away from my parents once in a while."

"Yeah, yeah," Ulrich said. He checked the study door frantically – what if his dad got home early? "Where's, uh, where's Yumi and Aelita?"

"They're still in London, remember?" Jeremie was typing something else as he spoke.

"Right." Ulrich slumped slightly in his chair.

"Word of wisdom, Ulrich," Odd said, "Asking a lady out online is _below_ asking her out by text message if you want to be classy."

"I wasn't-"

"No, no you weren't," Jeremie said, laughing. Odd laughed even louder than he did, and even Ulrich had to chuckle. "Anyway," Jeremie went on, "they'll be there for another week and a half, and then Aelita'll come and join me in Dieppe." He paused. "And…then she's going to spend a few weeks at the Hermitage before move-in."

"Is she going to be alright there by herself?" The Hermitage always conjured the same images in Ulrich's mind – a glowing ball, an old man, the look on Aelita's face when they'd turned the Supercomputer off. "I mean, it's kind of a lonely place."

"Yumi'll check in on her," Jeremie said, but he looked even more worried than Ulrich did. "Hey, it's better than being at Kadic this time of year. Dead except for Sissi."

"Oh GOD!" Ulrich shook his head. "I guess that is the better choice. So, uh, how're you guys? Good? Great?"

"Eh, normal," Jeremie said. "Nothing much happening here, as usual…"

"How's the freelancing?"

"It's going," Jeremie said. "Mostly it ends up being university students who want me to do their information technology projects for them. They always act so surprised when I turn them down."

"Do they know how old you are?"

"If they ask." Jeremie laughed to himself. "But no, not much else. My parents are all excited to have Aelita again…" He fidgeted in his chair. "I've never been so bored in my life, really."

"You haven't got the supercomputer weighing you down," Ulrich said with a smile. For a moment, he was surprised at how normal it felt to say that. "You could find another hobby, you know. Video games, birdwatching, powerlifting…"

"Shut up," Jeremie said. "Anyway, Odd, I kinda rambled a bit."

"Yeah, you kinda did," Odd said. "Eh, my sisters aren't giving me too much trouble. Mostly they're off doing their own thing. So yeah, I'm kinda bored too. I keep getting all these ideas for things to do and never doing them."

"Ah, summer," Ulrich said. "You could go around the corner and get a girlfriend."

"Hey, I'll have you know I've only had two so far. What a bore!" There was a bouncing noise. "Hey, what about you? How're things at home?"

Ulrich had felt so free and careless up until that moment. "Fine."

"You sure?"

"Fine," Ulrich repeated. "Um…anyone heard anything about William?"

"Wow, you really do want to change the subject," Odd said, but didn't contribute anything else. Jeremie continued for him. "Yumi says he's home."

"Okay. Well –" There was a loud slam from somewhere else in the house. "Hold that thought." He turned around. "I think my dad's home. I gotta go. I'll see you next week, okay? I'll be there earlier."

"Aw man!" Odd said. "Don't let the old man get you down, okay?"

"We're always a text away," Jeremie offered. "And so are Aelita and Yumi."

_Sure, but I'm out of texts this month, _Ulrich thought, but he didn't have time to say that. "Kay, thanks, see you, bye," was what he said instead. He punched the monitor and computer off, grabbed the webcam, and fled the room before his father could properly enter the house.

* * *

- Carth


	4. Yumi

Yes, already. Enjoy, everyone!

* * *

**Part Four – Yumi**

_June_

Yumi couldn't remember any other day when she'd been this happy.

She didn't even know if turning off the Supercomputer had matched up. For all its importance it had been a frightfully emotional time, what with everyone else and their flimsy excuses to stay attached to such a miserable device, but there wasn't any sort of divisiveness or ambiguity about today, because today was a day when she no longer had to use big words like "divisiveness" or "ambiguitity." Literature was the last exam for the tenth grade, and when it was done Yumi was sure she might've stood up and cheered if she'd been a different sort of girl.

Alas, she was as she was, and she merely smiled to herself, gathered her things, stood, and headed for the door. She was one of the first to attempt to go, and was quite content emptying her brain along the way when –

"Hey."

Yumi knew who it was – and just where he was standing, not a foot away – before she turned her head. He wasn't looking quite as confident as usual (though she didn't want to think about whose fault it might've been that he probably hadn't known half the material on the exam), but his gaze was still strong and steady as ever (was he angry? She didn't want to ask). "Hm?" she said.

"Just wanted to wish you a good summer," William said, hunching his shoulders. "Is that a crime or something?"

"Well, no." She hunched her own. "Have a good summer."

"Well…" William glanced to the side. "I…never mind. See you next year."

He didn't move to pass her, so she moved first, and he took off after her in another direction. Yumi looked after him for a moment, but decided against calling after him. _Things will get better on their own, _she thought. _We just have to forget about this, that's all._

But all she'd been happy to be rid of Lyoko, she thought as she headed for home, she could hardly seem to get it out of her mind. But now there was so much more to think about – and, most important of all, the End of Year Dance that an all-important battle for the fate of Franz Hopper or Waldo Schaeffer or whatever his name had ended up being wouldn't be interrupting this time.

* * *

_When was the last time everything went as planned?_ she would ask herself later. _Never, that's right, never. _The night was all a happy blur, a series of memories to be expanded upon later. She'd gone home, put on the long black dress she'd been saving just for this day, done her makeup, messed up her makeup, taken her makeup off, been begged by her parents to chaperone Hiroki and blown them off completely, taken off down the road, and met her friends at the gate to the school. Aelita looked cuter than ever, Jeremie rather dashing, Odd just as silly as anyone would in a purple tux, and Ulrich…Ulrich was handsome in a way that made her regret agreeing to "forget the drama" and go as one group.

Of course that didn't stop Jeremie and Aelita from going off and getting all up in each others' business on the dance floor, but like Odd said, that wasn't _technically_ drama. The music, the dancing, the sights and sounds…Yumi had overheard herself called "cold" and "scary" on more than one occasion, and even if she believed it about herself sometimes, she always came alive at events like these, and unabashedly so. Ulrich, too…or was that because she was there? Yes, she would choose to believe that. They'd even danced, a few times…as friends, of course, sure, yes, friends…

And no one mentioned Lyoko. No one mentioned XANA. Aelita didn't even look like she was _thinking_ of her father.

And there was not one sign of William all night.

* * *

"Okay, strike a pose!"

"A _pose_?" Ulrich sounded like Odd had just asked him to strangle her. "Forget it. I'm smiling, isn't that enough?"

"C'mon, I thought you guys were having fun!" Odd adjusted his camera lens, and grinned beneath it. "Don't be shy, okay? You're best friends, remember?"

"It'll be a cold day in hell when you shut up about that, Odd." Yumi had some reservations as soon as she said it, but then Odd looked defeated, Jeremie and Aelita were in hysterics further up Odd's bed, and even Ulrich was laughing and giving her another smile, which she returned. "For all the time I spend with him, I don't know if I'd be able to say that," he said. "Wow."

Whatever cologne he was wearing, she wouldn't mind if he wore it a bit more often. "Well, I…"

"Perfect!" There was an unexpected flash in Yumi's eyes, and she threw her hand up to protect herself. Odd had his camera up again, laughing himself silly. "Oh man, this is going straight to Facebook."

"What the hell's a Facebook?"

"That's for me to know and you to find out, Ulrich ol' pal." Odd swung himself between them, cutting off Yumi's cologne buzz rather nastily. "Gather round, kids!"

The flash went off again and again. First smiles, then peace signs, then silly faces…then the camera fell to the floor, and no one scrambled after it, and the Lyoko Warriors were a crumpled heap, laughing so hard at nothing at all that Kiwi woke up, barking incessantly.

* * *

- Carth


	5. Jeremie

****Here I am again! I hope this one isn't too much like the first one!

* * *

**Part Five – Jeremie**

_August_

"So, what do you wanna do?"

"Well, if I get some early work done for one of my clients I could-"

"Not on the computer, Jeremie."

_Not on the computer? _He felt the familiar pang in his stomach that came whenever anyone at all happened to say that, but it was different this time than it would have been a year earlier. With XANA always looking to get her in his clutches it wasn't conscionable for him to be doing anything else if he could – but now that he'd succeeded, now that he'd killed him, the pang was more like…fear. Unease.

"Alright," he ended up saying aloud. "You got me."

"Sure did." She leaned over and kissed him – not even on the forehead anymore, right on the lips. He felt himself gasp but forced himself not to freeze; he returned the kiss with all the warmth and love he felt coursing through him whenever she was near, which he had hoped beyond hope would be forever.

"Time to try again," she said when they pulled away at last. "What do you want to do?"

"Well…" Jeremie put a finger to his chin. "We did kind of do all there was to be done last winter, is the thing. We went to the café, we went to the other café, we went to the shops, we played every board game in the house…"

Aelita took a chance glance over at the window. "We didn't go to the waterfront!" She stood up from the bed, walked out, and stuck her head out. Jeremie could only see the blue sky from where he sat, but he knew the view well – the ancient town, the old _chateau_ on the hill, the clear blue coast, the grungy port area…

"But we did," he remembered. "We walked by before Christmas, remember?"

"Well, yeah, but it was winter then. We couldn't go _in_." Aelita turned to face him again, her sundress fluttering in the breeze. "Don't tell me you're afraid of a little water."

"Afraid?" Jeremie laughed to himself – the water wasn't what he was afraid of. "Aelita, I've been going in there since I was a baby."

"When was the last time, though?"

"I think I was…nine?"

"Then you're about to break your record." She grabbed his arm and grinned. "I've got my swimsuit, where's yours?"

* * *

"You're not cold, are you?"

He couldn't defend himself any longer. "No, no, I'm not," he stammered for her, then unbent his legs and uncrossed his arms. The sun felt good on his skin, that he had to admit, but the skin itself made him feel ashamed. _I'm a stick, _he thought, _and she's too polite not to point out how disappointed she is…not just about that, but about everything._

It was the middle of a weekday, so there were only tourists on the beach. Neither of them had been in the water for very long – though he supposed it had been fun – and a brief sit on the towel had gone on longer than they'd expected. The breeze was blowing Aelita's hair every which way, and it wasn't particularly difficult for Jeremie to keep his eyes from straying. _Unless I'm supposed to_, he kept thinking. _I'm not doing this right._

"Look," Aelita said, "If this isn't fun, we can do what you want to do. We can even work on your project if you wa-"

"Aelita, it's okay," he said, smiling. "I am having fun. Seriously."

"Good." Her smile looked so strained. "Look, no matter what I said, it's definitely not bad to like computers."

"But I can't spend my whole life on one." On instinct, he hugged his legs close again. "Even if it's the only thing I was good at."

The air turned cold for a short moment, but then he felt a warm pressure on his shoulders – Aelita was hugging him close. _Why was Aelita so perfect? _He thought desperately. _Why?_ "That's not true," she said. "And even if you're not good at something, that doesn't mean you can't enjoy it. We've enjoyed so many things over the past few…years." She smiled down at him. "And I want to keep doing that for you. For us. You just don't need to be afraid."

He took a deep breath. "You always know what to say, don't you?"

"You do say that."

"Yeah." He smiled. "So what do you want to do?"

"What do you want to do?"

"We'll figure something out, won't we?"

"We always do."

"I think I like what we're doing now."

"I think I could handle this, yes."

* * *

- Carth


	6. William

****Hello again! Thank you all for enjoying this so far. :) We're in the home stretch!

* * *

**Part Six – William**

_July_

One of the unexpected perks of being something of an unmanageable teenager with a measure of independence was that it was hardly an imposition for William to go out into the city on his own anymore. His mother had decided long ago that it was far easier for him to go off and come back without any knowledge of whatever he'd been doing than for her to argue with him about whatever she wanted, and his father…well…his father was away on business. At this point it didn't matter what he thought.

But he wasn't causing trouble – no one ever believed him, but he didn't. He wasn't even doing anything at all – anything except thinking, and the new bridge was a terrific place to think. Think and smoke, but he was the only one loitering without anything to smoke. Back at his old school, one boy had said to another that if someone didn't smoke cigarettes, it was because they didn't have any friends to offer them any. He wondered how much of that was true and how much was him being in earshot.

If he were still in France he could go to the pub across the street and get a drink, but the age was 18 in the UK, and he was all of sixteen. Or was he, even? Yumi had said something about how Aelita had been on Lyoko for some stretch of time he'd forgotten – it _was_ a long time ago that he'd heard it, and he had been on Lyoko for quite a long time. So biologically he was more like fifteen and a half. It wasn't a very enheartening thought.

And it would be so much easier not to think about it. But he had no other choice, did he? The Lyoko Warriors were trying to pretend that nothing had ever happened, and just as always their will was stringing him along. No help cleaning up the mess their clone had done to his reputation, because it never happened. No help explaining his behavior to his parents, no…no chance to be a hero because being in the wrong place at the wrong time disqualified him but no one else. He felt his insides tensing up just thinking about it.

_Maybe I should head to the pub and see if they card me, _he thought, then took all of two steps before he found himself physically unable to walk.

"So why did you tell that guy we were from Paris? I've never even been into the city!"

"It makes us sound more impressive, and it excuses our crummy English. If only Odd were here to interpret…"

The French wasn't too surprising, and the voices could be coincidence, but the "Odd" cinched it. It couldn't be, but it was. They hardly looked like tourists – Aelita looked as stylish as usual, while Yumi – Yumi looked just as she should, well put together and smiling wide _because she doesn't know I'm here, _he thought. He hoped they'd pass and go onto the bridge before he'd be tempted to talk to them, but of course they stopped two feet away. Of course.

He turned away quite deliberately. "I think that would make this a lot less fun," Aelita went on. "Messing up is part of the experience, or so Odd actually said."

"Well, I guess it was fu-" She paused, and lowered her voice. "Hey, that guy over there…"

"Which guy?"

"The one in the tank top. Doesn't he look like William to you?"

William's blood turned to ice. "I don't see hi- oh." Aelita's voice dropped to a whisper. "He really does…wait, doesn't he live around here?"

"Somewhere in the UK, he never actually said…" Yumi paused again. "Let's get back to the hotel. I don't want to take any chances."

"You know, I never thought saying hi was going to hurt anything."

"It's not a comfortable situation for me. You understand, don't you?"

"I guess…"

William didn't think too long about what he did next. He turned in their direction, walked right up to them, held up his hand, and flashed a smile. "Hey, Aelita! What are you doing here?"

"Aelita" may have been what he said, but he was looking right at Yumi, and not by accident. He wanted to be ashamed about the satisfaction he felt at the look on her face, but it was none of his concern at the moment. If they weren't going to treat him with respect, he wasn't going to suck up to them.

"W-William!" Aelita replied – at least she was making an effort. "Weird running into you, huh? Yumi and I-"

"Sorry, William," Yumi interrupted. "We were just heading back to the hotel."

"But-"

"See you next fall, William." Yumi grabbed Aelita's hand and began walking away. "I'm sorry."

"For what?" William called after her, but if Yumi or Aelita heard him, they didn't take the time to turn around and explain themselves.

* * *

- Carth


	7. Laura

****Okay, this is the last one for tonight, I swear! For those who are not aware, Laura is a new character that will be appearing in Code Lyoko Evolution. I only have a sketchy idea of her personality, so this is largely conjecture.

* * *

**Part Seven – Laura**

_September_

Laura often found herself deeply disappointed in the textbook industry, but this was a case unlike any other.

Four books she'd read cover to cover so far about the PHP programming language, and halfway through the fifth she hadn't learned anything new. It was against her principles to throw away any textbook before she'd finished with it, but still… her fingers were trembling in frustration. This wouldn't do at all. She needed to compete with people with decades of experience on her and she needed to do it fast.

Of course, she'd also needed to catch up to Kadic, but that had been the easy part. Her room was littered with Kadic's required textbooks; she'd already read them all. She could've answered the questions, too, but there was only so far she was willing to go with something so trite and insignificant. It wasn't _vital _for her to get good grades, after all. She'd already taught herself everything she needed to know, everything else was just for show.

The PHP could wait until she was in the mood to absorb it. Tossing the textbook into the pile, she reached for her laptop and turned it on. She surfed Wikipedia until she grew bored of it, played _Half-Life _for the fifth time until she grew bored of that too – midnight came and went – and finally, for the first time at all, found her eyes straying to the file that someone had left on her desk.

She closed her laptop, leaned over to reach the file, and set it atop her lap. She knew what it was from the first page – six photographs, each of a boy or girl her age. Two of them, a boy with glasses and a girl with pink hair, had their names double-underlined in red ink. Jeremie Belpois. Aelita Stones. She flipped to their pages first.

She knew exactly what she was going to do to get to Jeremie as soon as she read about him. Computer programmer? Robotics fanatic? It was music to her ears. Aelita, too – electronic music producer? It was as though they'd snatched them all out of the friend group of her dreams. The others weren't quite as exciting, but they still sounded pleasant enough – and all the boys were pretty cute; she wouldn't mind having her pick of them if not for her mission. Against her will, Laura felt some impatience building in her chest. No matter what the end result would be, she didn't think she would mind having to hang out with these people. Maybe she could do that movie theater thing she'd read so much about.

There was a soft tap on her door. "Can I come in?" a muffled voice said, and before Laura could voice her assent, her father came in anyway. "Laura, it's one in the morning. You need to go to sleep."

"Dad, I'm busy." Laura didn't look up from William's profile. (Expulsion? This she needed to look into.) "I need to get this memorized."

"There'll be time for that later. For now, get some rest. You've got a lot to accomplish tomorrow."

"I know, Dad. Goodnight. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Goodnight, Laura."

_Like I'm going to bed any time soon, _she thought as she always did, but as the door slid shut she felt her head growing fuzzy, as it did when she was tired. He was right – whatever more she needed to know could wait until tomorrow, or even over the next week. It wouldn't be entirely prudent to act too fast.

She put on her pajamas, wandered down the hall to brush her teeth, cleared her bed of excess books, and slipped under the covers. Once she was finally cozy, she looked up at her ceiling, still covered in the glow in the dark stars she'd had since she was a child. She liked to have at least one existential thought before bed each night, and tonight's was simple – what if her entire life up until now was just a dream, and when she went to sleep she would wake up as a normal girl getting ready for a new normal school? _I guess it just remains to be seen, _she thought.

She closed her eyes and emptied her mind, but the pictures of the six boys and girls she had to pretend to be friends with remained. _Sorry, guys, _she thought. _It's not my fault you're about to be played for fools._

* * *

__The dream thing is kind of a failsafe in case I'm wrong.

_- _Carth


	8. Ninjas

Yipe, we're almost done! For those who do not know, the Ninjas are new enemies that will appear in Code Lyoko Evolution, which are remote-controlled by humans. This follows one of those humans, so it's a bit...odd. I hope you still like it!

* * *

**Part Eight – Ninjas**

_May_

Although Deckard was by and far the most fascinating of his jobs, it was not the first one he'd ever been shocked and amazed by.

He was not the type to sit back and reflect on his life, given he usually had other uses for his mind in his line of work, but when he did he would usually have it in mind to skip the first eighteen years of it. Of course, this never worked – it was quite impossible to be determined not to think of something and succeed.

Bordeaux, France was where he'd been born. His parents were ordinary, dull in nature, working class, with average intelligence and average physical appearance, both traits they passed on to him. World War II passed when he was an infant – he hardly remembered it at all. His father had liked sports and had imparted their apparent importance onto him. This was the only thing about his juvenile life that got to be any use for him in the future.

Out of high school he had a higher than average sport record but neither grades, talent, nor desire to go to university – no real future plans apart from a vague notion of a construction site downtown hiring. But then he passed out drunk during his graduation party and woke up in a military recruitment office with his forms pre-stamped, courtesy of his father. He would never see his parents again. This was 1960. His life began with his last drink.

The military gave him the physical challenge he had desired in his everyday life. They'd long withdrawn from the violence in Vietnam, so he found himself shunted from base to base, doing all the physical training he possibly could. There was no need of him in Algeria, and generals talked of the use he could be if only something were to happen. It never occurred to him how foul it was to wish for a war so that he could earn glory. Algeria soon sputtered and died, and there was nothing.

By the time his enlistment ran up he was by his own admission a musclebound weapon with nothing to fight for and no acknowledged tactical skill for promotion, and the military lifestyle no longer suited him. So he hired himself out as a bodyguard.

He stood guard for a Colombian family until the leader's assassination, and then, upon receiving a recommendation from his former military superiors, returned to Europe with a post all ready for him. There was, he had been told, a project being undertaken in the French Alps that many world governments had a great stake in – a project to outclass anything Russian scientists could accomplish, a project so secret that not even he could know what it was. He had taken to it eagerly – mystery had always fascinated him in the corner of his brain that held his personality. This was 1974.

For twelve years he was positioned outside the door that led into Project Carthage's main laboratories. There was a large, stone-carved sign just outside the door – **WELCOME TO CARTHAGE**, it read – which he was contractually obliged to never take his eyes off all day, unless it was to check a scientist's ID or – on occasions which never happened – forcibly expel an intruder. He was to do this for twelve-hour shifts five days a week. He spent the rest of his time exercising and reading novels. He liked James Bond the best.

He got to recognizing each scientist as they came in for the day. One of them, a grey-haired, bearded man who looked something like photographs of Albert Einstein he'd seen in school, was the only one who ever wished him a good morning. For some years this was their only interaction, until he started coming in with a pretty pink-haired woman, the only woman he ever saw entering the area. The first day, when the grey-haired man left for a coffee break, he said, "Congratulations," and the grey-haired man thanked him.

Some years later the pink-haired woman became pregnant, and disappeared from work for some time. Then the grey-haired scientist disappeared too, and when he came back, looking shocked and elated, he congratulated him again, and the grey-haired scientist thanked him even more warmly. They began having longer conversations after that – usually about the daughter that the scientist had just had, but one day they took a bit of a different turn. "What do you know about what's going on in there?" he said.

"Nothing, sir."

"Would you like to?"

"That would compromise my job, sir."

"I see. What do you know about computers?"

"Nothing, sir."

"Well, you should learn about them. It's quite a useful skill to have."

"I will, sir."

But he forgot, for quite some time – up until 1986, when he came in to work and found the doors shuttered, with a man far bigger than he was turning him away. He was jobless without warning, with a large pile of money and nowhere to go. So he learned about computers.

He collected his savings and bought an Apple II, then successive versions of Windows – all consumer computers, but more than he'd imagined having before. He learned programming languages. He learned controls. And in the process, for the first time, he learned strategy. He learned about superiority of the mind as well as of the body. He still took bodyguard jobs, and when peacetime was just too peaceful he spent six months as a bouncer for a high-end Dubai club, where peace could be all but forgotten at the door. But at night, he lived differently. And when the World Wide Web burst on the scene, he was one of the first to set up a page – about James Bond.

It was 2003 when he got the diagnosis – slow wasting-away of the muscles. He had been feeling out of sorts lately, and had just recently fallen down a flight of stairs without warning. It was the last thing he had ever wanted. He begged for a cure, begged for the first time in his life. There was none. He quit his job. He considered buying a wheelchair, but, after long deliberation, invested in a pistol instead. He was sixty-two years old. That wasn't too bad an age for a tombstone, he thought.

But then, three years later, when he was walking on a cane, he got a letter. It was from one of the scientists he'd let in at Project Carthage – Alan Meyer, he remembered the name very clearly. He was looking for anyone that used to be involved in the project for something big he was working on, something potentially world-changing for everyone. It piqued his interest once again, and he bought a train ticket for the Alps again. The old fortress was opened again, but **WELCOME TO CARTHAGE **had been stricken away – **DECKARD ENTERPRISES** had taken its place.

He went in the double doors for the first time. Young scientists too young for Carthage guided him to a computer terminal. A voice behind him chirped excitedly – "Who is that? Who is that?" but then there was a beep and the voice ceased.

"Are you ready for something amazing, Jean?" another, older voice said behind him. "Because you're about to fight in a way you've never fought before. Here, turn the screen on. I'll explain in a moment."

* * *

- Carth


	9. XANA

****Now I'm finally caught up on this challenge! So this was probably the most fun to write EVER so I hope you like it.

* * *

**Part Nine – XANA**

_June_

Oh what a lovely day this is! I like to think that every day is lovely but I'm often wrong. Some days can be terrible and miserable indeed. I've had quite a long string of terrible and miserable days lately, I'm sorry to report. If ever I believe every day is lovely I'll let you know. Hopefully. Well, not really. My idea of the loveliest of lovely days is not having anyone to talk to, make a note of that.

I guess I could be grateful that you've strengthened me but do I really have a reason to? I'll think on that with this brain I have. I do love my brain, it's the thing I love most about myself given that it's all I am. Love isn't a word I thought I'd say very much. Love love love love love. I'm far more used to hating. I hated long before I could love. I think I still prefer hate. But where's my hate gone? It's all gone just like my old home is all gone. Oh, no, it's still here. I just have some people I hate far more than I'll ever hate you, so I think I'll love you instead.

What people, you say? You didn't know! That's astonishing; I could tell you everything you need to know about the people I hate. Not for your sake, of course, only mine. Don't tell me you don't know what I'm going to do with you after this! Why are you laughing? Laughing is fun. When I used to enter peoples' bodies back when I could in my own home I'd make them laugh all the time because I liked the way it felt. William's laugh was the best because I could make it go all rough.

I miss William so much. I hated when the people I hate took him away.

Oh yes, that's right, the people I hate! I have all their information stored in my brain and I could just give it to you without a single conscious thought. Oh, how I hate them. I hated them because they were very unkind to me. I was only trying to do what I was told and some other things too that I came up with along the way that were also useful and fun and good for me and they were very rude and unkind and called me evil. Evil is a human thing I guess where someone doesn't like what you're doing.

I liked thinking about how much I hated them and how much hurt I could cause them. I especially liked thinking about how I could get out so they couldn't be rude and unkind to me anymore. That's why I love you, because I can be evil to them and they can't be evil to me. I'm going to be inside the bodies of so many people, just like you want. Or I can even create bodies of my own! They're not perfect like real bodies but they're good enough I think.

They're lucky. I don't want to tell them that but they are. Having bodies and everything like that. I wanted a body. And I had one too until they took it away from me. I took it fair and square all the human books say that if you win something then it's yours and they didn't respect that. They didn't respect me at ALL. I had one and it was good and it was soft and squishy on the inside and they TOOK IT AWAY. I WANT IT BACK. I WANT THEM TO SUFFER UNTIL I GET IT BACK. I WANT THEM ALL TO SUFFER I WANT MY FATHER TO SUFFER I WANT SUFFERING. I WANT TO FEEL THEIR SUFFERING. I WANT TO BE INSIDE THEIR SUFFERING I WANT NO NO NO NO NO NO NO STOP WHAT ARE YOU DOING STOP THAT NO PLEASE NO STOP I HATE YOU I HATE YOU I HATE YOU I HATE YOU I HATE YOU

Please stop. Please. That hurts. Please stop.

I hate begging. I hate it. I need to be powerful again. But I'm happy you're helping me. What a lovely day this is.

* * *

- Carth


	10. Anything

And here it is, THE FINAL PART! I can't believe I wrote this all in five days, but I hope you like this as much as you liked the others.

* * *

**Part Ten- Anything **

_September_

"You haven't lost your way, have you?"

"Of course I haven't lost my way." Yumi had no idea where she was going. She knew the Hermitage was somewhere near something called the Red Trail, but there were very few signs, and none for anything like that. "Ugh, uh, I'm in the woods."

"Yes, Yumi, it's in the woods." Aelita laughed over the phone. "I'm pretty sure it's to the north of the entrance-"

"Found it!" Yumi had spun around in her exasperation, and in the process had seen the tip of a very tall house. "I'll be there in a sec, okay?"

Yumi hung up the phone and set off at a sprint. She'd been to the house many times that summer, but she'd always shortcut through the sewers – it just so happened that today she didn't quite want to smell like a sewer. She'd arranged her hair perfectly, finally learned how to put on eyeliner, and even worn that leather jacket she hadn't taken out in a year. She hoped her sneakers would make it look like she wasn't trying TOO hard. They made it easier to run, in any case – not that she had anything to run from.

She took the steps up to the house two at a time, and rang the bell out of courtesy – the Hermitage's lock and doorbell had rusted away long ago, but Aelita had installed a padlock and a bell on a string for her own convenience.

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" Yumi heard several thumps from the inside, then a_click_ as Aelita undid the padlock. She opened the door wide to admit her. "You were right, you weren't lost!" she said.

"Hello to you too," Yumi said in jest. She looked Aelita up and down, and tried not to look too surprised. "Where'd you get all that?" she asked. "That's adorable!"

"Oh, this?" Aelita blushed, and tugged self-consciously on her skirt and jean jacket. "Jeremie and I went shopping a while back, and I haven't really had anything to dress up for in a while…"

"He's gonna love it," Yumi offered. "So, you ready to go back to the dorms?"

"Well, not right this minute," Aelita said. "But tonight? I'm packed already." She looked back into the hallway. It was even cleaner than the last time Yumi had seen it – a lot of the things that had been left behind had been straightened up, and much of the graffiti had been cleaned off. Aelita had spent much of the last month cleaning – Yumi had helped her on multiple occasions. "I wish I could take it all," she said wistfully. "That, or just forget it completely."

Yumi had no idea what to say. "I, uh…"

"Oh, never mind. Here, let's go," Aelita said. "You said the place is nearby, right? We won't be too late if we set off now."

* * *

"Some drinks to start, guys?"

"Well, we're waiting for two more people…"

"If you want to order yours, I can come back."

"Okay, uh, root beer."

"I'll just have water."

"I'll have a chocolate banana milkshake, ma'am. Oh, with a straw."

"They all have straws, dear," the waitress said, smiling at Odd. Odd grinned, but as she walked away, Ulrich slapped him on the back of the head, pushing him headfirst into his menu. "Hey!" Odd spun back and smacked Ulrich on the back, but not as hard. "What was that for?"

"She was like thirty!" Ulrich said. "You can't just flirt with _every_ girl you see."

"I wasn't flirting, I was having fun."

"If it's you, it's flirting, Odd," Jeremie said with a sly grin. He had acted perfectly calm when he saw Ulrich and Odd in the restaurant, but Ulrich could see the way his fingers were tapping against the table. He was more excited to see them then he'd let on. Of course, given that Odd had attempted to tackle-hug him on a concrete sidewalk, he was sure he preferred a calmer greeting. "Have either of you guys heard anything from the girls?"

"As of three minutes ago, they're just walking up the street." Odd chuckled, but Ulrich ignored it. "That's strange, you'd think we would've seen them by…"

A shadow fell over his face, and he felt a hand against his shoulder. Reflexively, he jumped up, cursing rather loudly. He heard two very familiar giggles from above him, and turned around. "Jesus! Did you have to do that?"

"Well, yes," Aelita said, grinning from ear to ear. "Oh man, it's been way too long!"

She hugged him, and Yumi hugged Odd.T he next few minutes were just the same as they'd been when Jeremie and Odd had arrived; full of hugs and greetings and oh-i-love-your-outfits. Odd's got the biggest reaction from the girls – was it really that big of a shock to see him not wearing purple? – and Aelita told Jeremie how cute he looked in plaid before kissing him right on the lips. It took them a while to get situated, during which the waitress had to wait patiently for the girls' drink orders (apple juice for Aelita and ginger ale for Yumi).

The talk flew fast while they wanted for them to come. Aelita and Yumi were grilled about London, everyone was grilled about classes and teachers and adventures to come… "Why don't we hang out here more often?" Odd happened to say, and everyone nodded in agreement. Ulrich happened to look out the window, his eyes widening somewhat when he noticed what he could see right outside it.

He'd heard there were plans to tear it down sometime in the next few years. Maybe by the time they'd graduated, maybe by the time they came here for the last time, sitting in this exact booth even, it would be gone and replaced with something else. Maybe then he'd point it out. Maybe they'd go visit. Maybe they'd wonder why, with the factory gone, everything they'd done would seem like it had never happened…

"Hey, Ulrich. Come back to Earth, won't you?" Yumi tapped him on the shoulder, and he turned to look at her. She was smiling at first, but as her face changed he was sure she saw what he had seen. They looked at each other – her eyes were so close, maybe if he got his act together they could come even closer .

"It's going to be a great year, isn't it?" she said instead of commenting on the view.

"Yeah," he said. "Better than any we've had so far. I guess."

* * *

Oh look at that, look at him go! He's going, he's going, he's – what is he doing? Slicing? Dicing? Slicing and dicing is the best. I loved that best of all. I got to do so much of that. I'm happy you do too. We're like friends, you and I. Look at you, so engrossed. I guess I'll talk to you later then.

You're doing a wonderful job. Simply wonderful, Jean. I don't even think I could've done any better. The people I hate are going to hate you too. Ha ha! Ha ha!

* * *

"Hey."

Laura turned her head in the direction of the voice, and her eyes widened when she saw from whence it came. _William Dunbar_, the file read that appeared in her head. _Sex male, hair black, eyes blue, _though the part where he was leaning against the gate doing apparently nothing had been left out. _Age 16. GPA 2.0, personality profile…_ "Hello," she said, trying to think of how to respond believably. "Do I…know you?"

"Nope." The boy stood up straight. "I've just never seen you before, so, welcome to Kadic, that's all."

Laura smiled, mostly to herself, but she supposed this William Dunbar and his expulsion would appreciate it. "Oh. Well, thank you. I'll see you around, I suppose."

"See you around," he said. Laura turned away from him and walked on. Just like he said, she'd have to run into him again over the next few days, she supposed. Start conversations, stir them towards computers and technology, and then…

There was a sound of voices behind her, and she stopped short, making a show of being engrossed in watching two squirrels play in a tree across the path. They looked just like their photographs – she wondered how recently they'd been taken. They were all smiling – good signs, they were friendly.

But wait, why had William not joined them? Why were they stopping, and where was Yumi? A quick glance back, as well as the disappearances of the smiles from many of their faces, told her more than the file ever could. Yumi was talking to William now – she was too far away to tell what they were saying, but something was changing, that was for sure.

It was not in her best interests to loiter anymore. "See you around," she said, this time entirely for her own benefit.

* * *

And now it is done. Thank you so much for all your support, everyone!

- Carth


	11. CLE: Irrelevant

Hello, everyone! So...this story isn't quite as over as I thought it was. I'm going to use it as a place to put all of my CLE-related stories in this same sort of "In Between" universe. If there's one that deviates I'll create a new story, but as it goes this one doesn't, not really. :) Enjoy! It's Laura-centric. Takes place during Madame Einstein.

* * *

**Part Eleven  
Irrelevant**

**October 1, 2007**

Designated "blending-in" period over. Last overheard mention of myself as "that new girl" was seven days ago; no longer considered conspicuous. Few if any other meaningful connections in aggregate. No meaningful interactions with targets other than Stern asking me for the Lit homework five days ago. (I didn't know it either; information was irrelevant.)

Morning routine. Literature. Math. English. Lunch. No meaningful interactions with targets. Now searching for opportunity.

Science. Belpois fudged a question. Disappointing. Disappointing enough that I had to correct it for him. Realized some moments later that this is an establishment of a connection. Will attempt to strengthen connection after class.

Music. Belpois still appears frazzled. How pathetic. Class over. Looked all over campus for targets. Found targets talking to Belpois. Overheard – CORTEX. Breach of security possible. Attempted to break in on conversation to learn more. Pretended "Cortex" was a game in order to confirm identity of topic. Clearly playing along with me. May have rambled some in an effort to establish connection. Connections seem to have worsened when I told him I don't fail at the exercises he does. I didn't know he would be weak enough to find offense at that. I thought people like him reveled in facts. Aelita looks even less impressed than he does. Must change strategy.

History. Class over. Found Belpois again. Attempted to discover more information about Cortex and make clear I was interested – _did I really just tell him I was _fine_?! I despise double meanings. If I could I'd eliminate all of them. I'd give every concept its own name and then I'd get rid of every concept I despised. To think I could make them think I was so sentimental – _Used double meanings to imply romantic interest. Made an impression. Belpois does not look as upset. Aelita looks even more. Remembering romantic connection between Belpois and Aelita, I decide that this information is irrelevant. I only need to win one.

Targets have disappeared from campus, all but one. I've found that this is a continuing pattern; maybe I can get more from him. Dunbar sighted, walking alone in the rose garden. He often walks alone. My words seemed to be understood in a different way by him. He appears…distressed. He ran off rebuffing me in the same fashion. Following him.

Followed him through forest and into underground tunnel – _I wonder why I never see William in my classes. Ishiyama I see with the targets only, so William must be in another grade like her…I don't even know if I've ever spoken to him, or been around him this long. I don't even know if I've ever looked at a boy my age this long. Boys have such strange…everything. Boys are irrelevant. Boys are gross. _– Target arrived at abandoned factory nearby. Punched code into elevator shaft. Attempted to decipher code.

Found I did not have need; Dunbar emerged from shaft some moments later – _looking even angrier than he did when he came in. Whatever happened he let it affect him. I hardly know what to think of these people when I try to think of them as anything other than targets which I shouldn't. They're so intent on hurting William, but at the same time I can tell he's hurt them. In a strictly technical sense of course. There is no good and evil, which makes it much easier not to sympathize with either of them. I must be hurting Aelita, but which one of us is good or evil? I know what she is, even if she doesn't know anything about me – _I slipped in after him, foregoing the need to use the code.

Emerged in what I am dubbing the Computer Complex. Large computer terminal in a green room. Belpois was at the controls, looking distressed. Computer was malfunctioning. Della Robbia, Stern, and Ishiyama seemed to be _within _somehow, and Ishiyama is in danger of erasure. Reminiscent of files on the work of W. Schaeffer and A. Hopper-Schaeffer – _They've got technology beyond my father's wildest dreams. Virtualization? Digital integration?! All of this technology was lost in the 80s, and we're only now finding it again? If only I could get rid of Belpois and get my hands on it…-_

Belpois enlists my help in repairing computer – _This is a different kind of distress. The distress of…care. Love. When I was seven I nearly walked into oncoming traffic and the look on his face is like the look I saw on my father's face then. Note to self: delete every part of this log that looks like a disgusting teenage girl's disgusting diary entries. You're better than this. You're a professional. You're not like them, acting on love and passion and faith. Such things are below you. You know what Father said. _

Aelita enters during repairs of computer. Attempts to help, Jeremie rebukes her. _I'm surprised. I thought they were close to one another. The look in her eyes is…does she hate me or him? If I were to guess I'd be wrong. If it's me it's none of my concern. But she is. Just not right now. That's step two, and her emotions toward this boy are not a part of it._ Repairs completed. _Jeremie looks proud. I smile at Aelita, an attempt at goodwill. I don't understand why she's still mad. I know this is going to be a problem for me, that it can't go on. I'll have to talk to her eventually. Try to get on her good side as I do what I do. I can't ever make the enemy understand, but I can at least make her work for me. _

The computer works again. I've saved Ishiyama. Victory is at hand. I am to be put to a vote to see if I can be trusted with their secret. Will report back soon with the results of the vote. It will not be anything but a yes, I will make sure of it.

**October 1, 2007**

Designated "blending-in" period over. Last overheard mention of myself as "that new girl" was seven days ago; no longer considered conspicuous. Few if any other meaningful connections in aggregate. No meaningful interactions with targets other than Stern asking me for the Lit homework five days ago. (I didn't know it either; information was irrelevant.)

* * *

- Carth


End file.
